Wearing Your Music on Your Gown

by Maureen Buja

The 2023 Met Gala brought out all kinds of dresses, including Karl Lagerfeld’s 40-year-old violin dress, designed in 1983 for Chloé, worn here by Olivia Wilde.

Olivia Wilde in Lagerfeld

But Lagerfeld wasn’t the only designer to find his inspiration in the instruments of music. Viktor and Rolf used pink violins to great effect in 2008.

Viktor & Rolf, Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear (photo by Marcio Madeira)

In fact, if we go back to 1939, we have Elsa Schiaparelli’s music dress in white organza and gloves, embroidered with coloured metallic threads.

Elsa Schiaparelli, 1939 (Met Museum)

In 1988, Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring collection used Braque’s musical instruments as its inspiration.

Michael G. Cunningham: Free Designs: IV. Georges Braque (Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra; Vit Micka, cond.)

Yves Saint Laurent, Braque, Spring 1988 Couture

In their Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear collection, Threeasfour used parts of real instruments in their design, such as this violin body.

Threeasfour, Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear, Violin

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli created Valentino’s Spring 2014 show completely based on opera, including this dress based on La Traviata that was later worn by Katy Perry to the 2014 GRAMMY Awards.

Giuseppe Verdi: La traviata – Act I: Dell’invito trascorsa e gia l’ora (Rosanna Carteri, Violetta; Rome Opera House Chorus; Rome Opera House Orchestra; Pierre Monteux, cond.)

Valentino, La Traviata, Spring 2014 Couture

Katy Perry at the 2014 Grammy’s in Valentino

For the Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection, Dolce & Gabbana used the familiar keyboard design for a very short skirt, worn under a highly elaborate jacket.

Dolce & Gabbana, Spring 2017 ready-to-wear

For the Spring 2020 catwalks, Jeremy Scott for Moschino also dipped into Braque’s cubist instruments.

Yellow Violin, Moschino

Pink Guitar, Moschino

And Kerby Jean-Raymond for Pyer Moss used not only the familiar piano key pattern but also the shapes of instruments, such as the curve of an electric guitar on a lapel.

Pyer Moss, Spring 2020, Ready-to-Wear – Piano top

Pyer Moss, Spring 2020, Ready-to-Wear, Piano bag

Pyer Moss, Spring 2020, Ready-to-Wear Piano – Red with Keyboard

Pyer Moss, Spring 2020, Ready-to-Wear – Guitar Lapel

If all this is just a bit too high-style, then we can look at the new villain character for next season’s Doctor Who. Played by actor Jinkx Monsoon, the character’s costume not only has a piano keyboard extra- extra-wide lapel but also a piano keyboard lining to her ominous cape.

Jinkx Monsoon, 2023

And all of this is just a small part of how music has become part of couture.